Dressmaker s form



(No Model.) y W. J. BUYER.

DRESSMAKE RS FORM.

I W/bweooeo- ANDREW B.GRAHAM PHUfO-LITHO.WASHINGTON.DD.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. BOYER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

DRESSMAKERS FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,834, dated February 4, 1896.'

Application filed May 16, 1895.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. BOYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, county of New Castle, and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Dressmakers and Tailors Forms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in forms for dressmakers and tailors, and has for its object to produce such a device that will enable an operator to take the measurements of a person to be fitted and transfer them to said form by expanding the same upon the general lines of measurement; and with this end in view the invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction and operation in detail, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in Which Figure 1 is a central vertical section, from front to back, of my improved form; and Fig. 2, a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Similar numbers denote like parts in both the figures of the drawings.

1 is a core having the general outline of a. person, but of smaller measurement than the completed form is intended to be, and it may be made hollow, of wood, sheet metal, or papier mach, and I have found in practice that the latter is preferable, since its cost is small and it has but little weight. I usually support this core upon a suitable rod 2 and stand, which latter is not shown, so that it may be revolved for the convenience of the manipulator.

3 is an air-compartment formed by the casing encircling the neck-section 5 of the core and attached thereto, and connected with this compartment is a tube provided with a suitable valve and pump connection in order that air may be forced into said compartment for the purpose of increasing its circumferential measurement.

Serial No- 549,4=70. (No model.)

7 is a compartment similar to 3, formed by the casing, which is attached above and below the bust-section of the core and provided with a tube 9, valve, and pump connection similar to those described in connection with compartment 3 and for the same purpose.

10 is an annular air-compartment formed by the rubber casing which encircles the waist-section of the core and is attached thereto and also provided with the tube 12 and a suitable valve and pump connection for the same purpose as described in connection with the other compartments. 13 is a compartment formed by the rubber casing attached to the abdomen-section of the core, and provided with the tube 15, with its valve and pump connection, and 16 is a compartment formed by the rubber casing secured to the rear hip-section of the core, and also provided with a tube 18 and valve and pump connection.

19 is. an air-compartment formed by the rubber casing, secured to the side hip-sections of the core and provided with the tubes 21 and their valve and pump connections, and 22 is an air-compartment formed by the rubber casing, secured to the rear shouldersection of the core and adapted to be eX- panded bya suitable tube, valve, and pump connection. This casing 8 is secured to the core, as shown, to form pockets, the core forming the inner walls of the pockets.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improvement will be obviously as follows: An operator desiring to transfer the measurement of a person to the form, for the purpose of fitting Wearing-apparel thereto, has only to take each measurement of said person, such as the neck, bust, waist, shoulder, cross-arm, and hip measurements, and place the tape-measure around a corresponding portion of the form and bring the measurement of said sections to that of the tapemeasure by expanding that section through the forcing of air Within its compartment. Thus it will be seen that an exact duplicate of the persons form to be fitted is reproduced upon the form to which the garment to be made may be fitted, without further annoyance to the customer, and this is an advantage much to be desired, since it lessens the time expended by a person in having a garwent made, since the dressmaker has at all. times the exact form to which the garment is to conform, thereby obviating the liability of mistake and consequently the necessity of alterations, which entail loss of time and increased expense.

In order to present an even and uniform surface to the device, I may cover the several sections of the form with a continuous sheet of rubber and over this place stockinet, in which case the air-compartments would be protected against puncture by pins and the like, and yet the goods of which the garment is composed could be temporarily attached to the form by pins passing therethrough and into the-stockinet; and in practice this is very advantageous, since it enables the manipulator to temporarily attach garment-s to the form during the process of making alterations.

Vhile I have shown and described my device as having a number of tubes leading to the compartments adapted to be filled with air, it is obvious that these several tubes might be united at a common point and a multiple valve used at such point, so as to control the flow through said pipes by its proper manipulation, and a supply-pipe connected with said valve, by which water may be forced into the several compartments, in case it became desirable to make the form more solid in its several measurements, and the water might be thus forced through the tubes by simply coupling the supply-pipe to the ordinary reservoir-pipes used in the city.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of the several compartments shown and described, as the gist of my invention rests in the broad idea of providing a dress-form the several contours of which may be increased or decreased for the purpose of con forming to the measurement of a person to be fitted with a garment. 1

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is In a device of the character described, a core having the general outline of the human body in combination with a sheet of rubber secured to the core at intervals, forming pockets between the core and the rubber sheet and means for inflating the rubber as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affiXOCl my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM .T. BUYER.

Vitnesses S. S. \VILLIAMsoN,

SAMUEL L. TAYLOR. 

